Posted on 16 January 2007

Any Internet user searching for some information would definitely know the importance
of navigation menus. Mostly, across the world wide web we would find the top
navigational bar and the left navigational menu.

In the early days of Internet, the websites used to have some important links as their
menu. But, as the Internet technology grew, and with the advent of JavaScript, hierarchal
menus were born. This was one way of accommodating more links in less space.

Every website developer tends to create such navigational menus using JavaScript. But it
has an inherent disadvantage. Browsers without JavaScript (or disabled) will not render
the menu. In recent times, the security perspective has also threatened the use of JavaScript
menus. Also, JavaScript menus tend to be heavier.

With the proliferation of CSS technology, and its adoption by almost every browser it has
become simple and easy to have hierarchal menus based on CSS. Using just simple plain list
created by using nested <ul> and <li> tags, one can create those flashy menus.